GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners earmarked $8 million to approve five percent raises for all full-time employees Tuesday.
Police, fire, corrections, sheriff's, solicitor's office and district attorney staff will receive eight percent raises, according to Gwinnett County Board Chair Nicole Hendrickson.
"We recognize that inflation and cost of living is rising, and that’s really contributing to the retention of our workforce," Hendrickson said. "If we don't have competitive wages, then we're going to lose them to other jurisdictions around the metro area. We're going to lose them to the private sector, other fields and industries."
As of Oct. 4, 2023, Gwinnett County officials said 5,142 employees work for the county full-time. Gwinnett County Police Chief James McClure said the pay raises now put his agency, the second largest police department in Georgia, in the top third paying agencies in Metro Atlanta.
"It is, what we consider, a hyper-competitive market for police officers and our 911 communications officers," McClure said. "It’s about keeping the talent we have here.”
McClure said after a drastic dip in job applications in 2021 due to the perception of policing, the department is now rebounding. He expected to get up to 3,000 job applications into the police department this year. In 2020, the department got about 4,000 applications before the decrease in 2021 to 1,900 applications.
The chief still wants to fill about 200 positions, as he leans on technology and data-driven approaches to fill in the staffing gaps. Now, the competition to recruit more officers can heat up with a cash incentive.
"This pay raise represents an investment in them," McClure said. "First and foremost, it's about keeping our talent in-house and continuing to provide the best services we can to our citizens."
Those services, Hendrickson said, are critical to keeping communities safe. She said raising pay could help recruit and retain those who help their communities most. Hendrickson said the job vacancy rate countywide was around 16.5 percent. Gwinnett officials said a normal vacancy rate prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was around eight percent. The county is striving for a target of five percent, which it said was a good indicator of stability.
Hendrickson said while the five percent raise for other full-time employees won't cover a six percent cost of living increase, she said every little bit helps to combat inflation.
"We are competing with private sector, public sector during this time of inflation," Hendrickson said. "We’re competing with other jurisdictions within our own county, including cities and schools. We're seeing extreme wait times with people calling into our E-911 center, and we're hoping that raises will hope to fill positions so we can cut down on those wait times."